Shirring attachment for sewing machines



y 1954 E. L. SEAMAN 2,682,843

SHIRRING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Oct. 9, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l 5 65 31 52 75 I 70 as 24 7?; 37 61 U.

61 24 J 420 46 49 30 g 69 27a 264 we 26 55 r J INVENTOR. EON/1RD L. SEAMAN BY CM @Mjdymmi v (5247a! A TTOR/VEYS y 6, 1954 E. SEAMAN 2,682,343

SHIRRING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed 001:. 9, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 4% WA ,ep .4. 55/1 MAN ATTORNEXS Patented July 6, 1954 SHIRRING ATTACHIWENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Edward L. Seaman, Garden City, N. Y., assignor to S. & W. Sewing Machine Attachment 00., New York, N. Y., a partnership Application October 9, 1952, Serial No. 313,933

Claims. 1

This invention relates to sewing machines and attachments therefor, and. more particularly to apparatus for making shirring and scalloped shirring.

Heretofore in sewing machines provided with shirring mechanism, the practice has been to provide a plate over which the material to be shirred passes and above which a shirring blade is caused to reciprocate to shirr the material passing over the plate. The plate has usually been attached to or suspended above and parallel to the base of the machine just in advance of the presser foot and usually spaced from the base so that a layer of base material may move beneath the plate and have the shirred material sewed to it. In all such devices the plate on which the shirring is formed by the reciprocating blade constitutes an obstruction on or close to the base of the machine in advance of the sewing position which interferes with the free manipulation of the article being worked on. The principal object of this invention is to provide shirring mechanism which leaves the machine base entirely clear and unobstructed.

Another object is to provide improved means for producing scalloped shirring with such mechanism.

' A further object is to provide the apparatus in such form that it may readily be applied to existing machines in the form of an attachment requiring no alteration in the basic machine structure.

In accordance with the invention, shirring is accomplished by means of structure in which the shirring blade operates in a direction which is the opposite of that heretofore employed; that is to say it is urged rearwardly and upwardly instead of downwardly and shirrs against the underside of an upwardly extending and preferably angularly disposed plate in advance of the needle. This plate may conveniently be attached to or made a part of the presser foot. Preferably it is part of a specially made presser foot which may readily be installed on the presser foot bar in the usual way. The shirring blade is resiliently urged against the forward face of this plate and reciprocated by any suitable mechanism. The machine base is thus left entirely clear of obstructions right up to the place where the material being sewn passes beneath the needle and into the feeding means of the machine.

The material to be shirred is fed by a guide, or, if desired, by a combined folder and guide, between the above described shirring plate and shirring blade and, to form scalloped shirring, this 2 guide is caused to reciprocate laterally of the line of stitching.

The invention will best be understood from the following detailed description of the present preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a sewing machine embodying the novel mechanism for making scalloped shirring;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof with part of the machine head broken away;

Fig. 3 is a detailed end elevation on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 with some parts omitted and the supporting arm cut away, showing the principal parts of the shirring mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a form of trimming produced by the machine in which the scalloped shirring is shown as stitched to a base fabric; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the combined presser foot and shirring plate forming part of the invention.

The side of the machine toward the operator T will, in the ensuing description, be referred to as the front.

Referring to the drawings, they show a standard sewing machine having a base I0 with a head having an overhanging arm I I and a needle head l2 which carries a reciprocating needle bar [4 in which a needle I5 is secured, all in the usual manner. The head also carries a presser foot bar Hi to which is secured the foot I8, of special construction as hereinafter described, beneath which (not shown) are the usual oscillating feed dogs which advance the material underneath the presser foot in a rearward direction. The machine is provided with the usual rotating main shaft [9 to which is secured the hand-wheel 2B and pulley 2| through which the machine is driven. Attached to the main shaft I9 is a sprocket 22, from which an auxiliary shaft 24 is driven by the cleated belt 25 through the sprocket 26. This drive belt is preferably surrounded by a guard 21 attached to a casting 210. which is fixed to the base ID of the machine by an angle bracket 28, the casting 21aalso serving as a bearing for one end of the shaft 24. Attached to the head [2 is a transversely and forwardly extending supporting bracket 29 having a portion 30 in which the shaft 24 is rotatably supported near its other end. Bracket 29 is secured to the inner vertical face of head I2 by threaded stud bolts 3|, on which it is held between the positioning nuts 32 and lock nuts 34. Shaft 24, which rotates with main shaft I9, actuates the shirring and guide reciprocating mechanisms which will now be described.

Referring particularly to Figs. 3 and 5, the

shirring mechanism includes a shirring plate 35 and a shirring blade 36 which are arranged and cooperate in a novel manner. In the embodiment shown, the shirring plate is part of the specially constructed presser foot l8 which also has a fiat portion 38 which overlies the feed dogs and contains a needle hole 39 and has an upwardly extending attaching portion 40 which fits.

travel of the shirring blade 36. As shown, it extends upwardly and preferably slopes forwardly away from the needle 15 although the angle at which it is disposed may be varied considerably.

shirring blade 36 is attached to a hub i2 fixed on a shaft M which isrotatably mounted in an arm 45 which is adjusably secured by screw 47 in the slotted arm. 46 mounted on the stub shaft 48 rotatably supported in the boss 49 at theforward end of bracket 2Q. The shirring blade'36 is urged upwardly and rearwardly toward the plate 35 by a coil spring surrounding the shaft 44. Reciprocating motion is imparted to the shirring blade from shaft 24 through the eccentric 5!, link 52 and the slotted arcuate arm 54 to which the link is adj-ustably connected. by means of the bolt 55. The position of the link 52 with respect to the arm 54 determines the amount of travel of the blade 36.

The material to be shirred is fed between plate 35 and'blade 36 by a guidev or a combined folder and guide 58 having a bracket 59 attached to a slide. block 6!] which rides on a fixed square bar 61. One end of this bar is secured in a bearing bracket 62. and is further supported by angle bracket 63 attached to bracket 29. Bracket 62 has an integral boss 64 drilled to receive a supporting bar 65 which extends forwardly from the portion 30 of bracket 29 in which itis anchored. Bracket 62 also serves as a bearing for the transverse shaft 56 on the rear end of which is a pinion 68 driven by a. worm 69 on shaft 24; On the front. end of shaft 55 is a slotted disk. 1.8 in the slot of which is. an adjustable crank arm '1 i, the position of which is fixed by the set screw 72. Connecting one end of arm H and the slide block (it) is a connecting rod comprising the relatively adjustable arms M. andv 15. held together by the screws 76..

As the machine runs and shaft 2% rotates, th slide block as will be caused to traverse the square bar 6| by a distance determined by the position of arm H relative to disk it, thus movingthe material to be shirred back and forth laterally of the line of stitching. If arm H is so adjusted as to place the pivot point of arm at the center of. disk 'H,the guide 58 will remain stationary.

Big; 41' illustrates the type of trimming. produced when the guide 58 is caused to reciprocate, the trimming is taking the form of scalloped shirring which may be attached to a base fabric 19. The line of stitching produced by the sewing machinev is indicated at 80. If guide 58 is. not recipracated, straight shirring. will. be. produced and it will be evident, therefore, that the'mechanism is capable of adjustment to produce a variety of shirred materials.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of constructionof the embodiment above described for purposes of iii-ustration and that many variationsmay be made driven from said auxiliary shaft, a shirring plate extending upwardly from said presser foot in advanceof theneedle, a pivotally supported shirring bladeresiliently urged toward the forward face of said plate, means driven from said auxiliary' shaft for reciprocating said blade, a fixed bar extending transversely of the line of stitchingin advance of the needle, a slide block on said bar, a crank on said transverse shaft, a connecting rod joining the crank to said slide block, and aguide carried by said slide block arranged to direct material to be shirred downwardly between said shirring plate and blade, said attachment being supported wholly: above said base.

2. An attachment according to claim 1 wherein said crank is adjustable relative to the axis of said transverse shaft to vary the travel of said slide block. 7

3. An attachment according to claim 1 wherein said. slide block is non-rotatably and slidably supported on said fixed bar.

4. Reciprocating guide means for a scalloped shirring attachment for a sewing machine having a base and a main shaft comprising, an auxiliary shaft parallel with the main. shaft, means driving the auxiliary shaft from the main shaft, a transverse shaft-extending at a right angle to theauxiliary shaft, a driving connection between the auxiliary and transverse shafts, a crank on said transverse shaft, a fixed. bar extending transversely of the line of stitching, a slide block non-rotatably supported thereon,

' and a shirring material guide carried by said Slide block, said guide means all being supported above the machine base to leave the same free for the passing of goods being worked on.

5. shirring mechanism for a sewing machine of the type having a horizontal base, feeding means including a presser footto move the work across the base, and. a. vertically reciprocating needle operating adjacent said feeding means; said mechanism comprising an upwardly-extending and forwardly sloping shirring plate supported. from said presser foot. in advance of said needle and above said base, a downwardly extending shirring blade pivotally supported in advance of and above said. plate, means resiliently urging said bladeupwardly and rearwardly toward the forwardsloping face of.' said platameans for reciprocating said blade-relative tosaid sloping. face in a dowr-iwardly direction toward-said base, and a downwardly extending. guide positioned. todirect material. to be shirred between said plate and. said blade, said. blade and said reciprocating means being positioned wholly above said basev and at asubstantial distance therefrom whereby said base is clear of. obstru tions. up to said shirring plate.

References Cited in the file of." this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS- Sigoda Mar. 4 E941 

